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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; When holiday weekends arrive, I think about the safety on the highways and even on the country roads and neighborhood streets.
				There are two things that plague our roads and highways: over indulgence of alcohol and distracted driving.
				These two issues transcend generations, but young people are really affected.
				This week, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board committed to providing financial support to reduce underage and dangerous alcohol consumption by announcing that it will award almost $2.8 million to 84 schools, community organizations, municipalities, law enforcement organizations, nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, and institutions of higher education through the 2020-22 Alcohol Education Grant Program.
				&ldquo;The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board takes its alcohol education responsibility very seriously, as evidenced by our funding of these important local projects, which promote public health and safety,&rdquo; said PLCB Chairman Tim Holden. &ldquo;Preventing underage and irresponsible drinking is an important part of our mission, and we&rsquo;ve awarded $17.7 million in alcohol education grants since 1999.&rdquo;
				This year, of 94 grant applications received, 84 organizations from 36 counties across Pennsylvania were awarded a total of $2,787,922 in grants. The maximum award for each two-year grant is $40,000.
				Distracted driving
				The other issue that just seems to never go away is bad behavior while driving.
				People get behind the wheel of a large vehicle and instead of enjoying their time driving to work, or just heading to some fun activity, they choose to act inappropriately, endangering themselves and other drivers.
				My friends at AAA Mid-Atlantic recently released an informative report: &ldquo;Bad behavior: Drivers know it&rsquo;s wrong, but many do it anyway.&rdquo;
				The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety&rsquo;s report finds drivers who have been in at least one crash in the past two years are significantly more likely to engage in risky behaviors like speeding or texting while driving, even when they think the police may catch them.
				The Foundation&rsquo;s annual Traffic Safety Culture Index, which highlights the gap between drivers&rsquo; attitudes and their reported behaviors, found that drivers perceive distracted, aggressive and impaired driving as dangerous. Yet many of them admit to engaging in at least one of these exact behaviors.
				Sobering statistics
				&#8226; 50% of those involved in a recent crash admit to talking on a hand-held device while driving in the past month vs. 42% not involved in a crash.
				&#8226; 43% of those involved in a recent crash admit to texting while driving in the past month vs. 27% not involved in a crash.
				&#8226; 39% of those involved in a recent crash admit to running a red light in the past month vs. 30% not involved in a crash.
				This data shows that people are not altering their behavior even when it has resulted in a crash.
				Of all dangerous driving tasks, drivers dubbed these two extremely or very dangerous:
				&#8226; Driving when so tired, it was hard to keep your eyes open (96%).
				&#8226; Driving while typing or sending a text message or an email (96%).
				Jana L. Tidwell, manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic, said this:
				&ldquo;The new AAA Foundation report shows drivers know that being distracted, tired, aggressive, or impaired is dangerous while behind the wheel, but up to 63% admit they&rsquo;ve done it in the past 30 days.&rdquo;
				Wait, what?
				A few years ago, my friend Eileen Miller stood before hundreds of students at the Greater Nanticoke High School and bravely and emotionally told the story of how her life was forever changed on July 5, 2010, when her son, Paul Jr., was killed in a crash caused by a distracted driver.
				The pictures were graphic, the statistics were frightening and the words were sobering.
				It&rsquo;s a message that must be received and followed &mdash; don&rsquo;t text and drive.
				Her son was driving his vehicle on Route 33 in Hamilton Township, when a southbound tractor-trailer crossed the center grass divider and traveled head-on into his car. At the time of the crash, the tractor trailer was being operated by a distracted driver &mdash; the man would later say he was reaching for his cellphone.
				Paul died from the injuries he suffered as a result of the crash. He was 21.
				What will it take for kids, for everybody, to get the message and change their behavior?

Beyond the Byline: Critical message — don’t drink or text while driving